A New Genre in Chinese Fiction

In recent
years, a new genre of fiction
known as the Officialdom novel has become increasingly popular in China. Fans
claim that the novels offer rich entertainment while providing valuable
insights into the byzantine system of manners and etiquette that is the key to
success at white-collar jobs in China, but the trend might signal a much more
significant shift in the culture—one that goes beyond matters of literary
taste.

Wang Yuewen is widely credited with
writing the first successful Officialdom novel, Painting,
in 1998. "I gradually learned that it was hard to gain promotion with talent or
hard work," the former bureaucrat said in an interview with China Daily, the
country's largest online English-language news service. So he turned to writing
fiction that draws from his personal experience navigating the complicated
machinations of the Communist government and government-controlled industries.

Since then the genre has blossomed. Over
a hundred Officialdom novels were published in the first three months of this
year, nearly surpassing the total number published in 2008. In addition to
offering insights into Chinese government, the genre has provided new careers
for Chinese bureaucrats who are either disenchanted with the strict Confucian
systems functioning in their workplaces or who have been disgraced by bad
choices or bad alliances.

Wang Xiaofang was a high-ranking official
in northeastern China whose boss, the mayor of a large industrial city, was
arrested for corruption and eventually sentenced to death. Clouded by his
affiliation with the condemned mayor, Wang's career was in shambles until he
chucked it and turned to writing. He has since published six novels based on
his experiences and sold hundreds of thousands of copies, according to reports
in the Economic
Observer. "My years of experience in the official
circle laid a solid foundation for my literary creations," Wang said in an
interview with the Southern
People's Weekly.

Although such
themes have a long history in Chinese literature (novels that contain insights
into the official workings of the country are as old as Dream
of the Red Chamber, the
eighteenth-century classic by Cao Xueqin about the rise and fall of a Qing
dynasty family), critics point out that contemporary Officialdom novels utilize
the simple prose and highly structured plots common to romance or detective
fiction. The genre follows a common outline: A lone, morally upstanding, male
protagonist struggles against corrupt bosses but inevitably wins the battle in
the end—and finds a beautiful woman along the way.

From a literary point of view this is a
minor transformation in trends and style, but for China watchers intrigued by
the country's continuing march toward freedom of expression and individual rights,
it's an interesting milestone. Disgraced officials and disenchanted bureaucrats
would not have been permitted by censors to discuss their experiences or voice
their disappointment, even in fictionalized form, twenty years ago.

While the novelists are careful not to
reveal facts that can be linked to living figures and never go so far as to
criticize Chinese politics on a macro scale, the mild disapproval voiced by
official literary critics suggests that the genre is pushing boundaries.
Despite the continuing attempts of the Communist government to police its
populace and protect itself, the efforts of some individuals to create a more
transparent culture are gaining traction.

Stephen Morison Jr. is a contributing editor of Poets &
Writers Magazine. He lives in
Beijing.

“In addition to offering insights into Chinese government, the genre has provided new careers for Chinese bureaucrats who are either disenchanted with the strict Confucian systems functioning in their workplaces or who have been disgraced by bad choices or bad alliances.”